Benji Marshall has shed five kilograms and dropped the attitude which he says wore him down at the Wests Tigers.

A refreshed, slim-looking Marshall officially signed with St George Illawarra for two and half seasons, ending weeks of speculation about his future as he weighed up an offer from Cronulla. The Dragons trumped Cronulla’s offer by almost $100,000 per season, with Marshall set to earn $500,000 a year at St George Illawarra.

A stint in rugby with the Auckland Blues helped drop Marshall’s weight to 91 kilograms.

“I was about 96 (kilograms) when I left the Tigers,” Marshall said in his only newspaper interview. “The problem was I didn’t see that that I was overweight and lazy. I was too much in my comfort zone.

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“The reason behind coming to the Dragons was to get out of my comfort zone. I have a lot of mates at the Sharks but I feel like at the Dragons I can challenge myself and be part of a great squad and a great team and try and get the best out of me.”

Fairfax Media understands that the Dragons won’t have to shed any players from their squad this year but may need to move on a higher-profile contracted player from next season to accommodate Marshall’s move.

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Just when the St George Illawarra fans get to see their new recruit in first grade will almost certainly depend on the Dragons’ result against Canterbury on Sunday. Marshall won’t train with his new teammates until Tuesday but a defeat to the Bulldogs would see him turn out in the NRL next Saturday when the Dragons travel to Parramatta to take on the Eels at Pirtek Stadium. Marshall will most likely play in the No.7 jersey, alongside Gareth Widdop in the halves.

“I’m nervous,” Marshall said. “It was a bit similar when I went to the Blues environment when I didn’t know a lot of people. You have to open yourself up again.

“I am coming back from a failed experiment. I am hoping to get to know the guys a bit better.”

The Sharks tried to coax Marshall to join the club because of his association with ex-Wests Tigers players including Beau Ryan, John Morris, Chris Heighington, Andrew Fifita, Bryce Gibbs and Blake Ayshford. However, Marshall was reluctant to rekindle past experiences and does share a strong bond with Dragons’ duo Bronson Harrison and Jason Nightingale.

“I just weighed up from a football point of view where I thought I would fit in best,” Marshall said. “Talking to the coaching staff at the Dragons, the things they told me probably weren’t the things that I wanted to hear but what I needed to hear. We had that honesty behind each other and I feel like I can add to the squad.

“People said my decision was about money. It wasn’t about money, it wasn’t about mates. When I finish playing, I am going to be remembered for what I’ve done on the field not the type of bloke I am. I want to leave with a legacy. I gave 12 years of my life and my heart and soul to the Tigers, this is just the next chapter.

“I’ll try and give the same heart and soul here.”

Marshall is yet to settle since returning from New Zealand. He has been living in hotels and isn’t sure if he’ll make the full-time switch to the Dragons' main training base in Wollongong.

“The next step will be deciding where I’ll live,” Marshall said. “I haven’t given it much thought because I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up. My wife (Zoe) will be working in the city so it might be somewhere in the middle.”

Dragons halves Sam Williams, Michael Witt and Kyle Stanley are among 12 players off contract at the end of the season, along with former Tigers teammates Harrison and Matt Groat. Marshall will be well settled in the top grade by the time he will face his former club, with the Dragons due to play the Tigers on Sunday, July 27.

“I didn’t look forward to see who was playing who,” Marshall said. “I want to have an influence on the side. Running the ball and setting up tries, the stuff halves love doing. I still have to earn my spot.”